“T-SQL’s Hidden Support Feature”

2017-09-12, 12:30 – 13:30 Brisbane

The most effective T-SQL support feature comes installed with every edition of SQL Server, is enabled by default, and costs no overhead. Yet, the vast majority of database administrator underutilize or completely neglect it. That feature’s name is “comments”. In this session, Microsoft Certified Master Jennifer McCown will demonstrate the various commenting methods that make code supportable. Attendees will learn what’s important in a header comment, use code blocking to edit code, build a comprehensive help system, and explore alternative comment methods in stored procedures, SSIS packages, SSRS reports, and beyond. These methods help prevent errors and reduce troubleshooting.

“From DBA to Data Scientist”

2017-09-12, 11:00 – 12:00

The world’s fastest growing job is that of the data scientist. Many believe the career is out of reach without a PhD. While many job requirements list a PhD as preferred it’s not a necessity. The good news for database professionals is that we can leverage our skills and experience to enter the machine learning space without the advanced education requirements. There’s a learning curve but it doesn’t require a master’s or PhD. In the real-world companies need data scientists who specialize in applied machine learning. Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence that provides computers with the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed. Applied machine learning is using existing algorithms to build predictive models at the expense of understanding how the under lying algorithms are written. In this session I’m going to discuss the move from the DBA role to that of the Machine Learning Engineer. We will learn about applied machine learning. In addition to discussing machine learning we will build a predictive model in Python and Azure Machine Learning Studio. We are about to witness an explosion in applied machine learning and I’m going to show what you’ll need to do to get started.

“Shortcuts From an Impatient DBA”

2017-09-17, 11:00 – 12:00

This session is about performance tuning your day. We spend a lot of time thinking about how to write efficient code, but we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how to be efficient with how we use our tools. In this session I will show you some lesser known keyboard shortcuts, tips, tricks, and hacks that will make your day easier. These are the tricks I’ve picked up over the years that help me get my work done quicker and easier. Even the most seasoned Database Professionals will learn a new trick that makes SSMS even easier to use.

Other Items.

We’re continuing work on getting a list of past presenters up on our website. It’s a slow, deliberate progress but it’s ongoing.
You can check it out here: Past Presenters
If you have any suggestions, please don’t be afraid to let us know.

We’ve created a Group on LinkedIn as another way to spread the information and as a platform for knowledge sharing. Check it out and let us know a). if you like it, and/or b). how you think it can be improved.
We are always open to suggestions.

Apart from that, anything you want to get in touch about, hit us up on Slack or Twitter.